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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Chaos
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Tuesday
Neville Briggs, the instructor for the ‘Magic’ course, said,
“I assume you’ve all heard about the concept of ‘Mana Colors’ from Professor Istal.”
In his late thirties, with slicked-back black hair and a sharp suit, he had a very intense look.
While he lacked Istal’s boisterous nature, he possessed a cold intensity.
“『Mixed Attribute』 mana has a variety of potential uses. Strengthening, healing, attacking, enchanting… it can be used for anything. It’s the natural state of pure mana, and unless you’re born with a special constitution, it’s also the inherent mana of humans.”
However, he continued,
“Because of that, its efficiency is low. It can do everything, but it doesn’t excel at anything. For example, if two users with the same skill level and physical condition attempt to enhance themselves with ‘Red Light’ and ‘Mixed Attribute’ mana respectively, the efficiency ratio would be 10 to 3. Even with the same amount of mana, you can achieve more than three times the output.”
One of the students, the green-haired girl, spoke up.
“What are the advantages and disadvantages of each type of mana?”
Professor Neville replied,
“『Red Light 』demonstrates overwhelming efficiency in enhancing the user’s physical abilities and amplifying healing.
However, its output drastically decreases when released externally, making it incompatible with magic that requires creating ‘formulae’ outside the body.
Its ranged attack options are also limited.
『Blue Light』 on the other hand, is extremely stable outside the body, making it very useful for magic.
While its output is weaker than ‘Red Light,’ it’s more versatile.
Attack, defense, enchantment… it can handle most things.
However, it’s incompatible with the human body, making it difficult to use for healing or physical enhancement.
『White Light』 lacks both the output of ‘Red Light’ and the versatility of ‘Blue Light.’
However, it’s the only type that can be directly transferred to others, making it highly effective for healing and support.”
Professor Neville’s speech was clear, so it wasn’t difficult to understand despite his fast pace.
However, his tendency to add personal opinions and explain things that weren’t even asked made it rather long-winded.
If Istal’s class was akin to military training with a deceptively gentle tone, Neville’s class felt more like a university lecture from Chrom’s previous life.
“Once you attempt ‘Imbuing,’ it becomes extremely difficult to switch to a different type of mana. That’s why you’re given a week to decide. Choose wisely.”
After his lecture on mana, he moved on to the ‘Magic’ course itself.
“The theory behind the miracles known as magic is simple. You create a ‘formula’ outside your body and manipulate mana according to that formula. Different formulae produce different effects, and with greater proficiency, you can create multiple ‘formulae’ simultaneously.
It’s a highly versatile subject with infinite possibilities, limited only by the user’s creativity.
Mastering such magic and forging new paths is what ‘Magic’ is all about.”
Professor Neville glanced at the students who were focused on him.
“Frankly, both ‘Blue Light’ and ‘Magic’ are difficult for those with poor intellect. Don’t come crying to me if you struggle. Make your own compromises.”
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Wednesday
The students who attended the ‘Support’ class for the first time were taken aback.
Sitting at the professor’s desk was a young boy who looked no older than ten.
“Ah! You’ve all arrived. Welcome! I was so impressed watching you all pass those difficult exams!”
The boy’s eyes were bright and deer-like, his voice clear, and the contrast between his snow-white hair and vibrant skin gave him an almost ethereal beauty.
Some of the female students instinctively covered their mouths or blushed.
“Is he the professor’s child or younger sibling?”
“Perhaps a page?”
“Maybe. But it’s a bit unfair that they won’t let us have servants while the professors get to use them.”
As if he had heard the students’ murmurs, the white-haired boy smiled and said,
“Ah, it seems there’s been a misunderstanding. I am ‘Emilio Lafer,’ the instructor for the ‘Support’ course! Pleased to meet you all!”
As he bowed with childlike innocence and charm, even some of the male students couldn’t help but smile.
The instinctive feeling of fondness and affection when seeing a small, cute creature was the same for both men and women.
Of course, some weren’t swayed and thought, ‘Isn’t it strange for a child to be a professor?’, but they hesitated to speak up, sensing that they might be ganged up on in the current atmosphere.
“The ‘Support’ class, unlike the previous two subjects, focuses on training personnel who support their allies from the rear rather than directly confronting or defeating enemies. It may seem unassuming and less glamorous, but the presence of a specialized support agent can be the difference between life and death for a party.”
Some students nodded in agreement with Emilio.
Most of them were well-educated and understood the importance of support roles in maintaining a party’s fighting strength, especially in large-scale battles, as opposed to simple duels.
“『White Light』mana is inherently compatible with the human body, and using it with conventional healing magic amplifies the effects several times over. Although it hasn’t been finalized yet, even the Holy Church is considering incorporating ‘White Light’ into their priests’ training.”
Seeing the students captivated by his words, Emilio gasped, as if remembering something important, and quickly added,
“If you find it difficult to wield weapons directly or are uncomfortable with using magic for lethal purposes, please consider the ‘Support’ course! I’ll do my best to help you!”
As he stuck out his tongue cutely, saying, “Ehehe, I almost forgot to mention that,” several students clutched their chests and collapsed as if their legs had given way.
Only a select few, who knew the truth, watched the scene with deadpan expressions.
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“…That damn old geezer.”
“Huh? Who are you talking about?”
On the way back after Wednesday’s trial class, I waved dismissively at Regret’s question, saying it was nothing, and thought about the schedule ahead.
In ‘Planetarium,’ several factors determined a character’s strength, and ‘Mana Color’ was one of the most important.
It was akin to choosing a main class in other games.
‘Red Light’ was suitable for close-range physical combat classes like warriors and assassins, and conditionally, archers.
‘Blue Light’ was for mages and summoners, and ‘White Light’ was for healers and buffers.
It was possible to develop without choosing a Mana Color and stick with the default Mixed Attribute mana, but the difference in mana efficiency in specialized fields was significant, and there were rarely any merits to maintaining Mixed Attribute mana, making ‘Imbuing’ almost mandatory.
‘I also need to choose my auxiliary subjects, or sub-classes, carefully.’
Tactics. Hunting. Alchemy. Blacksmithing. Medicine. Literature. General Education.
Some students wondered why such subjects were taught in a school focused on developing anti-demon forces, but these auxiliary subjects were actually closely related to the combat subjects.
In battles between groups, not just duels, commanders on the front lines needed to understand tactics, separate from the strategists in the rear.
Hunting taught not only hunting skills but also knowledge about demon-controlled monsters and magical beasts, tracking techniques, and how to erase one’s own tracks.
Knowledge of alchemy allowed one to create useful consumables for battle and analyze enemy magic tools.
Blacksmithing enabled one to create specialized equipment and repair damaged gear during combat.
Medical knowledge combined with healing magic resulted in significantly greater efficiency than either alone.
Literature aided in deciphering complex formulae and fostered creativity, which in turn improved one’s magical abilities.
General Education was more of a refuge for illiterate students or those who neglected auxiliary subjects in favor of combat subjects.
However, it was still a necessary subject to prevent students from becoming socially inept individuals who defied orders and acted recklessly, obsessed only with fighting.
‘I’ve given it a lot of thought, but I guess this is the optimal combination for me.’
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Let me guess:
-Chrom: Blue+Alchemy(versatile and makes the most from his looting talent and rich background to acquire raw materials)
-Regret: Red+Blacksmithing(she is obsessed with weapons, there’s a possibility she goes with General Studies instead, but that seems suboptimal and not something Chrom would encourage)
-Fiore: White+Tactics(rather than a pure priest character, she seems to have been characterized as a strategic genius)